The Pele Trinity 3E is an ultra-light boot with a completely new type of outsole to provide players with the perfect tool for sprints, tackles, and quick match movement. Pele’s new Symbioskin upper is designed for exceptional comfort. With three unique elements and embossed fit channels, the Trinity forms around the foot creating exceptional feel and ball control. A unique “tripod” stud mapping system has studs designed specifically for the forefoot, mid-foot and heel for quicker contact with the ground for reaction, stability and accelerated release. An asymmetrical stud design stimulates the brain and helps deliver fast muscular reactions, which in turn trains fast foot speed and coordination.
Comfort/ Fit
If I had to pick my favorite feature of the Pele Trinity, it would have to be the fit. The problem that I have always had with a lot of the new lightweight soccer shoes is that the fit has always been second best to the more traditional, slightly heavier boots on the market. The Trinity uses a very simple design for the upper, with a central lacing system and a very high quality synthetic, which I will get to a little later. The thing with synthetics is that they don’t really stretch, so if the pre-molded shape of the upper is not right, the fit of the shoe will never be right, even after break-in. If you look at the physical shape of the boot from the side, you will notice a very slope-like shape, with a very low toe box. What I am getting at is that the shoe is shaped very similarly to a bare foot, so when you slip this shoe on for the first time, you will notice how the upper wraps your foot almost perfectly, with no next to no extra space in between your foot and the upper of the shoe. I have always said that the best fitting synthetic shoes on the market were the high-end Nike Mercurials, but these easily match those shoes in terms of just having a fantastic fit. The Trinity does not have a narrow fit, and should fit nearly any foot type perfectly, just as long as you don’t have extremely wide feet. The last important thing to note regarding the fit is the sizing of this shoe. I usually wear a size 9US for review in most shoes, but for the Pele Trinity I needed to go half a size down to an 8.5US. I know that a lot of people are always afraid of going down in size, but trust me when I say that you need to go half a size down if you want the right size.
As far as comfort is concerned, there is not much to complain about, especially for a shoe that weighs so little. I put these boots on my feet for the first time and played an entire 3 hour training session no problem. These are ready to go from right out of the box and literally require zero break-in time, which is great. The upper of the boot wraps your foot absolutely perfect, and since the fit is so good, there is no rubbing whatsoever. The upper itself is very soft and pliable, with little no stiffness to it at all and it is lined with a very smooth liner, making for a very comfortable feel against your foot. The heel is lined with soft synthetic leather, and I had no issues with my heel sliding. One of the features of this boot that I loved was the memory foam insert in the tongue of the boot. It spans from the bottom of the tongue and reaches all but the top two lace holes. Essentially what it is there for is to eliminate any kind of lace-bite, which generally does becomes an issue when you have a thin synthetic tongue. The memory foam provides just enough padding to allow you to tie up the laces as tight as you want and still have no issues with discomfort, which is great.
If there was one compliant that I had regarding the comfort of this boot it is the minor stud pressure from the two inside studs in the forefoot of the shoe. Instead of the usual three or four studs that most shoes would have, the Trinity only has two, and it isn’t an issue, but in combination with a very thin sole plate and a harder playing surface, you are able to feel the studs under your feet. This isn’t a big issue at all, and I would even say that I was uncomfortable from this issue, but it was something that I noticed. While this is a minor issue, I also feel that you can partly blame the insole of the boot, which I easily the thinnest insole I have ever seen on a soccer shoe. Should you swap out the insole for something a little thicker, the stud pressure issue almost completely goes away.
Weight
The Trinity is tied for the lightest boot on the market with the Puma v1.11 SL, weighing in at 5.6oz and boy is it light. It really is one of those boots that feels weightless, especially because of how tightly they fit to your foot. If you are looking for one of the lightest shoes on the market, this is one to take a look at.
Traction
The Pele Trinity makes a very bold move in going for something somewhat unusual as far as stud patterns go. Generally, a firm ground stud pattern has about 10 to 14 studs, sometimes even more, that make up what is supposed to be a stud pattern that will provide traction and stability on firm ground. What the Trinity has done is use less studs, while also claiming that it will stimulate your brain to be quicker! Unfortunately, these shoes are not going to make you quicker, nor will any soccer shoes, but they certainly aren’t going to be slowing you down. The studs themselves are shaped as rounded blades, and are definitely on the narrow side. But what makes this stud pattern so unique is not the studs, but how the studs are laid out. If you look at the studs from the outside of the foot, you will see a pretty standard three forefoot studs and two heel studs. But when you look at the shoe from the inside, there are only two studs in the forefoot and only one stud on the heel! The two studs in the forefoot didn’t really worry me, but the single stud in the heel sure did. I knew that Pele would not have done it if it didn’t work, and after using them, I can honestly say that there was not one occasion where I felt unstable from having only three studs on the heel. Actually, if you put these shoes on my feet blind folded and asked me to run around, I would never guess that there were only three studs in the heel. What I am getting at is you shouldn’t be intimidated by this feature at all and there is no feeling of awkwardness whatsoever. The traction that these shoes do provide overall is very good. The studs, for being firm ground studs, are on the longer side, similar to the adizeros, and that is a pretty good comparison as to how it feels. You get the really strong grip when pushing off, but you never feel completely locked in. These are also going to dig a little more than you are used too, since you have more weight on less studs, meaning that each stud will be applying more pressure into the ground than if there were more studs. This is a stud pattern that will work on any surface, and will even perform pretty well on a little softer ground.
Touch
The upper of the Trinity is made from a newly developed synthetic called “Symbio Skin”. Essentially it is a 3-layer material that is super thin and super flexible. Like I said earlier in the review, because the upper is so soft it require basically no break-in time and it also means that this shoe has somewhat of a unique touch as well. This is one of the thinnest uppers on the market. When you put this shoe on your foot, you can see the shape of your toes pushing against the front of the shoe. Being as thin as it is, it still manages to have the slightest cushion to it, which I really liked, as it made for a slightly forgiving feel when touching the ball, similar to what you would get from a leather upper. I am not saying that it feels like a leather upper, but of any ultra-thin synthetic that I have worn, this has the most cushion to it. Another thing that I liked about the upper is the finish. The finish is matte, with no extra grip or anything, which I felt was very reminiscent of how it actually feels when you touch a ball barefoot. I guess you could say that it feels almost like a second skin, which is always a good thing.
Shooting
Shooting with these boots is probably not something that is going to be surprising to you. There are no shooting gimmicks or any extra padding, so you can really feel your foot connect with the ball when you strike through it. The strip of memory foam on the tongue provides just a little bit of padding, but not much at all. Other than that, I don’t think that there is anything major that is worth mentioning. What you see is what you get.
Protection
Is there is one thing that you should now about ultra-lightweight shoes, it’s that they provide very little protection. Like I said, you can see the shape of your toes when your foot is in the shoes, very similar to what would happen with a sock. So basically the amount of protection that these are going to provide is going to be just a little more than what a sock is going offer. That being said, there is a solid plastic heel counter, which is always nice to have. Like I always say, the ultra-light soccer shoes are designed to be lightweight, and something always has to be sacrificed to allow for the weight loss, and almost always is that the amount of protection that a shoe will offer. If you are looking for ultra-lightweight, don’t expect protection form not only this shoe, but any lightweight shoe.
Durability
This is one area where is always tough to call in a review, simply because there just isn’t enough time to dedicate to one shoe before you see durability issues arise. The Trinity is a very well built shoe and the quality of the finishing and materials on the boot is top notch. I personally had no issues with these boots, so I have nothing really to report that is negative. What I can say is that these do have a very delicate feel to them, and whether or not that is going to have an impact on the durability is kind of a toss up. I definitely think that you will be able to get a year’s worth of wear from these boots, which is usually what most people ask from a pair of soccer shoes.
The Verdict
I was very skeptical of this boot from the start, but once I slipped them on for the first time, I knew that Pele did something right. Easily the best fitting ultra-lightweight boot on the market, offering great comfort and some unique features that I think a lot of people will like once they give it a try. Essentially I have just summed up the Pele Trinity, it is something that you have to give a go. It is in a class of boots where the adizero seems to be the dominant force, but I truly believe that you should give the other options a try, because they are just as good, if not better than what you have been lead to believe is “the best”. If you want a quality lightweight boot and are also looking to try something different, the Pele Trinity is a great option.
| Comfort/Fit | 9 out of 10 |
| Weight | 10 out of 10 |
| Traction | 8 out of 10 |
| Touch | 9 out of 10 |
| Shooting | 8 out of 10 |
| Protection | 6 out of 10 |
| Durability | 7 out of 10 |
| FINAL SCORE | 57 out of 70 or 81% |
